Tag Archives: Impressionism

Berthe Morisot, Hollyhock, oil on canvas, 1880, Musée Marmottan Monet, Paris, Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons

Happy Birthday Berthe Morisot

Berthe Morisot French Impressionist Painter Berthe Marie Pauline Morisot, born on January 14th, 1841 in Bourges, was one of only three women who were members of the French Impressionist group of artists in Paris.  Daughter of Edme Tiburce Morisot, a high-level government official, and … Continue reading

Claude Monet, Poplars, 1891, Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons.

Happy Birthday Claude Monet

Claude Monet French impressionist painter Oscar-Claude Monet, a founder of French impressionist painting, was born in Paris on November 14, 1840, the second son of Claude Adolphe Monet and Louise Justine Aubrée Monet.  His parents called him Oscar.  His father wanted … Continue reading

Edgar Degas, Concert Singer with Glove, c. 1878, pastel on canvas, 34 3/16 x 29 7/16 x 3 3/4 in., Fogg Art Museum, Cambridge, MA, Photo in the Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons.

Happy Birthday Edgar Degas

Edgar Degas French Impressionist Born July 19, 1834 in Paris, France to Célestine Musson De Gas, a Creole from New Orleans, and Augustin De Gas, a banker.

Pierre-Auguste Renoir, The Swing, 1876, oil on canvas, 36.2” x 28.7”, Musée d’Orsay, Paris, Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons.

Swingin’ with Renoir

Like other Impressionist artists, Pierre-Auguste Renoir painted outside, or en plein air, in order to capture the light and atmosphere of a split second.  His painting entitled, The Swing depicts his brother, a fellow painter, his favorite model and a little girl … Continue reading

Édouard Manet, Olympia, 1863, oil on canvas, 51.4” x 74.8”, Musée d’Orsay, Paris, Photo by Gautier Poupeau, Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons.

Édouard Manet: Just Another Nudie?

In 1865, at the Salon in Paris, the official exhibition space for the art academy, there were many, many paintings of nude women, so why did this one by Édouard Manet cause such an uproar?  The public hated this painting!  … Continue reading

Claude Monet, London, Houses of Parliament, 1904, oil on canvas, 32.1” x 36.4”, Musée d’Orsay, Paris. Claude Monet, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.

Just a Second: avant-garde

Avant-garde (noun) A military term meaning, “advance force,” that was adopted by French artists and critics in the nineteenth century to describe innovative art. The Impressionists were the first avant-garde artists.  Their colorful and sketchy paintings were radically new.